The Maker Faire is coming to Maine! On Saturday, September 8, Museum L-A will present its first Lewiston-Auburn Mini Maker Faire from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bates Mill Atrium, 35 Canal Street in Lewiston. The event will provide a unique opportunity to learn from and tinker with inventors, scientists, students, artists, do-it-yourselfers and “makers” of all ages as they showcase their projects and inventions.

Nationally and internationally renowned performers EepyBird and AudioBody will headline the event, which celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, art, play (for both adults and children) and hands-on learning.

“The Museum’s inspiration to apply for the national license for the Mini-Maker Faire came from one of our prolific ancestor inventors, Adrien Jalbert,” said Museum L-A Executive Director Rachel Desgrosseilliers. “With a sixth-grade education, he showed the power of imagination and creativity that we often find in the oral histories of our local workers. We feel this is important to celebrate as a community”

The Maker movement attracts inventors, artists, craftspeople, fabricators, artisans and anyone who enjoys hands-on creativity. Museum L-A’s Mini Maker Faire is the in Maine and only the fourth in New England.

“It’s not only an opportunity to see what people are doing with their creative minds and hands, but also a chance to talk with the makers and find out how and where they get their inspiration,” said Kate Griffith, Museum L-A’s Program and Events Coordinator.

“Maker Faires are the most rewarding places for us to perform,” said Jason Tardy of Audiobody. “Not only do people appreciate the show, but they also appreciate the hard work it takes to create the show. And we have just as much fun seeing all the other crazy things people are making…I know that everyone who comes is going to have an absolutely amazing time.”

Food will be available on-site, with the Green Ladle offering a traditional barbecue with a vegetarian option. Guests are encouraged to park at Canal Street parking garage (62 Canal Street) or the garage at the corner of Lincoln and Chestnut streets (29 Chestnut Street).

Tickets are $10 at the door for adults; $5 for ages 13 to 18; and free for ages 12 and under. They can be purchased in advance for $8 at http://makerfairelewistonauburn.eventbrite.com.

For more information, see website http//makerfairelewistonauburn.com, Facebook www.facebook.com/LAMiniMakerFaire, or Twitter @LAMiniMakerFair

Exhibits and Demonstrations

Auburn Middle School, Lego Robotics and Outdoor Solar Car race; Bike Part Art, Kinetic art from recycled bicycle parts; spirographs and zoetropes from bicycle parts; Calligraphy and Bookbinding, Learn the basic forms and strokes of calligraphy while trying out the round Chancery style; CarFree Maine, Demonstrating the Flying Yankee Foldable Electric Bicycle, Microtracker-Open Source Transit Vehicle GPS Transmitter, and “Mesh Networking for Rural Transit”; FIRST Robotics teams, High school students competing in varsity-level robotics competition sponsored by FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology); “Infinite Loop” team from Messalonskee High School (Oakland) demonstrating their “Rebound Rumble” game (similar to basketball, but with more baskets and more balls); “SMART Robotic” team demonstrations by students from Spruce Mountain Middle and High Schools (Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls and Fayette); Gardiner Iron Tigers team demonstrating their basketball-themed robot; Great Falls Boat Works, Lewiston boat builder handcrafting small crafts under 22 feet in wood and composites; Intermediate Tech Wind Power Generator, using discarded hardware, surplus and post-consumer appliances to make viable, point-of-use wind-generated power, Pika Energy, Wind turbines for home use and oversized Slinkys; Plane Crazy, Build your own fifth-generation fighter jet from parts found at local hardware stores; Soft Circuit Saturdays, Projects combining electronics, sewing, crafts, and technology. (Try your hand at sewing a circuit with conductive thread, a battery and LEDs); SoPoHackerspace; Turning Memories into Memoirs, writing personal and family stories; Weaving and Spinning, Demonstrations of hand-weaving with wool and cotton and hand-spinning wool; Ventricles Apart Crafts, Heart and animal-inspired jewelry made from found objects and clay.

Performances

AudioBody’s High Tech Comedy Show is the fusion of physical comedy and technology. Armed with a collection of futuristic instruments, brothers Matt and Jason Tardy take the stage in an attempt to create the ultimate musical performance, only to find themselves at odds with their own unruly musical inventions. Sibling rivalry, technological mishaps and outrageous happenings collide on stage to create a performance full of relentless comedy, amazing stunts, up-beat music, and LED light shows!

EepyBird’s Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiments: see what happens when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos mints. It’s the backyard experiment that became a cultural phenomenon. EepyBird explores creativity, and in particular the ways in which ordinary objects can do extraordinary things. In their laboratory deep in the woods of Buckfield, Fritz Grobe, Stephen Voltz and their creative team experiment with Coke & Mentos, sticky notes, paper airplanes, shampoo, and more as they search for ways to transform these things from everyday life into something new, into something unforgettable. Get a sneak peek of the EepyLab and their latest experiments where adults can play with some of Fritz and Stephen’s wild inventions!

Peaks Island Puppets: Comedic, physical Jewish-themed puppetry.  “Solomon and Ashmedai” is a 20-minute puppet show featuring a fable about how the wise king Solomon wasn’t always so wise. The show is suitable for adults and children.

Children’s Programs and Tours

Museum L-A educators and volunteers will lead activities throughout the day for children of all ages. Children will have the opportunity to send Morse code messages on a homemade telegraph, experiment with “kitchen-cupboard chemistry,” make their own block-head doll, try out a nail and marble musical instrument and create a thumb piano.

Tours of nearby Baxter Brewing and Maine Heritage Weavers will showcase creativity and innovation going on right in the heart of Lewiston-Auburn.